Skin Pain in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis or Psoriasis: A Web-based Survey

Society for Publication of Acta Dermato-Venereologica Chronic cutaneous pain and itch are the most bothersome subjective symptoms of skin diseases and may have a significant detrimental impact on patients’ health-related quality of life. In the past, cutaneous pain has been under estimated in various skin conditions, and very few studies specifically assessing pain in patients with skin diseases have been published. Notably, Misery et al. (1) and Verhoeven et al. (2) documented that at least one-third of patients with various skin diseases experience skin pain during the course of the disease. Similar results have been published recently by other groups, showing that more than 50% of patients with psoriasis or atopic dermatitis (AD) experience skin pain (3–6). Itch and skin pain are more severe in patients with AD, while joint pain is more common in patients with psoriasis (3). The pathogenesis of cutaneous pain in AD and psoriasis is not known. Huet et al. (4) suggested that skin pain in AD has a neuropathic component. Pain and itch sensations can overlap in both AD and psoriasis, although different neural pathways may be involved. Itch is a common co-symptom, and could mask pain, but may also cause severe pain due to excessive scratching and damage to the skin (7). Skin pain has a negative impact on patients’ lives and has been shown to significantly reduce physical activity level, impair sleep, and make the patient more irritable, depressed, less able to concentrate on tasks, and to withdraw from social activities (7). The aim of this web-based survey was to explore the frequency and character of cutaneous pain in patients with AD or psoriasis.